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Origin and history

The convent of the Minimes of Saint-Mihiel originates in Benedictine Priory Saint-Thiébaut, founded between 1122 and 1135 outside the walls of the city, in the eponymous suburbs. This priory, of Romanesque style, included a basilical church from which today the large northern arcades of the central ship remain. The buildings, organised around a cloistered courtyard, also included outbuildings, a stable, a pool and a garden. The ensemble maintained a classical monastic structure, centred on community life and prayer.

In 1598 the priory was entrusted by Pope Clement VIII to the minimal brothers of the province of Champagne, who settled there before the end of the year. The latter undertake a partial reconstruction at the hinge of the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular modernising the cloister, whose west arched arched gallery is integrated into the house body. The Romanesque arcades of the north wall of the church are taken up as sub-work to harmonize with the new cloister, while the south wall is pierced to form the north gallery. The term Saint-Thiébaut is preserved, marking the spiritual continuity of the place.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the convent was sold as a national good in 1793 to Jean Bizard, a resident of Saint-Mihiel. The new owners radically transformed the premises into a farm, demolishing the southern and eastern bodies of the cloister, as well as the church's lower side, converted into a barn. In the 19th century, additional modifications altered the church's south wall and the west façade of the house. It was not until 1987 that restoration work restored some of its radiance to the church's central vessel and the west gallery of the cloister, which had been classified as historical monuments in 1989.

Today, the site preserves major remains of its monastic past: the central vessel of the Romanesque church, the west gallery of the eight-span cloister, and the religious building, witness to the 17th century reconstructions. These elements, protected since 1989, offer a unique overview of the architectural and religious evolution of the place, between medieval Benedictine heritage and minimal adaptation of the modern era.

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